3 Tips to improve brand interaction

Engagement is key to conversion. But did you know interaction is key to engagement? According to the Sprout Social Q4 2015 Index, shoppers are 7 times more likely to engage with branded promotions if they've previously interacted with that brand. The key? The interaction needs to be 'meaningful'. Here are three tips to improve your branded interactions.

"Retailers have a huge opportunity to be part of an authentic customer conversation on social media. Rather than interacting with consumers, most marketers use the medium to send out mass promotional messages," said Andrew Caravella, Vice President of Marketing, Sprout Social. "The problem with shouting promotions is that it leaves marketers with little understanding of what people want from brands. Promotions can be effective, especially on social platforms; however, it has to be supplemented with good customer service and engagement. In fact, listening and responding to consumers on social can greatly improve the likelihood of customers engaging with promotions."

2. Monitor and actively listen on social media

"Marketers already recognize the importance of understanding how communities are talking about their brand on social media, but getting the most out of those insights requires more than the basics," said Caravella. "Social monitoring means that marketers are looking for brand mentions. Active social listening goes deeper: it's the act of brands reading how people are talking about them through direct mentions, but also listening and searching for adjacent conversations, indirect mentions and even category chatter and replying to customers and joining those conversations. If brands listen, learn and act to what people want, they can better reach their audiences and improve relationships."

3. Know where your audience is most vocal

"Twitter and Facebook are both popular channels for consumers and brands alike, however, for many brands; one channel may be more popular than the other. There are countless social networks, it's up to brands to understand which channels to use. This quarter, retail has seen 7 percent more inbound messages on Facebook, than on Twitter," said Caravella. "However, retailers are sending out more messages on Twitter - 144 percent more than they did six months ago. There is a clear disconnect between where people are talking and brands are answering. For brands to improve relationships with customers and response rates, they need to know where their customers are talking and monitor those channels accordingly."